MATCH FIXING is a growth industry these days. Conventional players' agents may hog all the headlines but the work that licensed match agents undertake when brokering glamour international friendlies or tailoring pre-season tours to an individual club's specifications also helps keep the football world turning. Whether it is Argentina charging a premium to come to visit Hampden last week, Barcelona making a pre-season trip to the east coast of Scotland part of their regular routine or Ghana playing an impromptu international friendly against Togo at Griffin Park, Brentford, football's matchmakers have never been more in demand.

Phil Smith, of First Artists Corporation, is just one member of the elusive, exclusive band who put these things together. His organisation - probably the biggest football agency in the UK - have previously arranged England games and have now arranged Rangers' previous two pre-season trips, first to Germany and the Netherlands two years ago, then just Germany last summer.

Although the money involved is loose change compared to the fees generated by big player transfers (the match agents division turns over £250,000 compared to £6m-£8m from their regular clients) it can still be rewarding business. Talks have yet to commence on whether that working relationship with the Ibrox club will continue for the pre-season of 2009, but First Artists are hopeful that will be the case. Their cause is unlikely to be harmed by the fact that they were subsequently involved in the successful deal which took Pedro Mendes to the club in August.

"The money is small by comparison, probably only about 2.5% of our revenue, so in fact it is miniscule, but it is good solid business," Smith said. "It is a growth business, we enjoy it and it sits well with our other activities.

"It is a bit of a privilege. You end up working closely with the clubs, you are working from the inside a little bit or at least spending time with them and getting to know them and it is the spin-offs of how it plays out in the longer term you are looking for.

"There are not huge fees for a one-off game but obviously they can accumulate and if you get involved in putting teams together for a tournament you could be earning from three or four different sources legitimately. You can lose out as well though. It is not a licence to print money."

The work can certainly take you to some unusual places. Like personal assistants charged with placating superstar recording artists and their bizarre requests, match agents usually take responsibility for making sure the matchday experience runs smoothly. Smith, for instance, recalls organising an exhibition match in London on behalf of the NBA which ended up with an order for some bespoke king size beds.

"Clubs might want to take on certain aspects of it but generally the match agent is liable for everything," Smith said. "You need coaches to pick people up, cars for dignitaries or the club chairman travelling over. It is very involved. People who do this stuff earn their money. I remember when we brought over an NBA basketball team, including Shaquille O'Neal, to play in the UK. They were all between 6ft and 8ft feet and the beds just weren't big enough, so we had to have some new ones made."

Match agents operate in a marketplace in which nations and clubs are valued in terms of reputation and geography, and it is not rocket science to deduce that Argentina - along with Brazil - should be one of the most expensive national sides to bring to your country, both due to their place in the top three of the world rankings and the travel involved to get them to Europe. In 2005 the two governing bodies, the AFA and CBF, surrendered the rights to organise their friendly matches to the same agency, Kentaro, on a long-term deal, and since then both Argentina and Brazil have played glamour friendlies all across Europe, not least meeting each other at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in September 2006. The SFA eventually paid just under £400,000 for the privilege of playing against the Argentines, talks having initially opened around the £800,000 mark. Although a crowd of approximately 30,000 limited the national association to a small profit, it was one of the few occasions when the SFA have made use of a match agent. The SFA's own market value for friendlies is closely guarded but swelled by the propensity to carry a large following.

"Argentina would say for us to travel from Argentina to Scotland, we'll want travel, accommodation etc amounting to a certain amount, then a guaranteed match fee and probably a percentage of the takings after that if it goes over a certain amount'," Smith said. "Although if the match fee is so high they might just say guarantee us the match fee and if you make a shedload out of it then good luck to you. Once you have guaranteed them their money, they are usually quite professional.

"There is a bit more structure to it with clubs. No-one wants to see anyone out of pocket, everyone wants to reciprocate because sometimes you have to do deals the other way. Rangers, for instance, will host games and then they will go away and ask for match fees."

Generally speaking, clubs still regard getting a good pre-season above making money, although "if you can get a measure of both" then all the better, Smith said. Superstition - with clubs keen to repeat successful seasons - is also a factor, although whether it is Rangers or Celtic who have reason to reassess their summer tours this summer will only become clear in the months ahead.